Teaching Techniques

Teaching music is all too often dominated by the perceived need to pass exams. I do not hold with this as, in my opinion, exams and music are not compatible with learning and developing a lifelong love of music. Exams turn music into a pressurised exercise and tend to lose the point of music altogether. The point is that music is a gift, not a chore. The love of music is a blessing, not something to be measured for no good reason.

I teach both the playing of music and the appreciation of it. I treat my students as individuals so as to teach them what they will enjoy learning and most of all to have fun during their lessons. The ability to read music is, of course, an advantage, but to play without written music can also develop the ear in a way nothing else can. There is so much to the music played on my chosen instrument that is historically, politically and socially of interest. I have a wide knowledge of music, both from an academic viewpoint and my personal experience.

Jazz is full of wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell. Stories of tragedy and triumph, sadness and joy, failure and success and just playing it for its own sake. Most of all is its beauty and the emotion it can transmit once you understand what goes into it.
I have written over a hundred duets of songs that will be familiar to most people. All of them have a story and a meaning and an anecdote behind them. They range from easy to difficult but even the simplest of songs need to be played well. I was told when I was young that “to play a lot of notes is clever but to play one note and move people is really playing.”

Music is fun, music is a joy and it’s all around us. I want to share the joy that I’ve had from playing it and listening to it.